Letters to the editor Nov. 28

Lighting up the night sky

I enjoyed the recent articles on astrotourism very much. Out here in Marion we have been blessed with lack of light pollution for quite a while now. Unfortunately, with growth and the influx of more folks from the urban areas, we are getting more and more all night flood lights installed locally.

In addition, the sky shine from Kalispell 25 miles to the east of us is increasingly apparent. I truly wonder about the necessity of all this nightlong lighting. To me it seems to be a huge waste of valuable energy.

Also, I wonder what the environmental impacts are to the humans and wildlife that live in the Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls areas. Should we really be lighting up the night just because we can?

—Gerry Hurst, Marion

Climate change impacts

When you think about climate change, what do you think of? What does “Save the Planet” mean to you? Who or what suffers because of climate change? Our “planet”? The polar bears? Ice caps?

I’m here to tell you that climate change is about more than polar bears and ice caps. It’s about people.

As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I lived and worked with the front line communities to climate change. I served in Zambia, an African country where almost everyone is a farmer and most people are poor (living on less than $1.90 a day). Families depend upon a rainy season to grow maize and other foods to feed their families. To Zambians, their maize is everything. It’s their source of income, nutrition, livelihood, and future. Because of climate change, there has been an increase in droughts and floods, which has led to crop failure across the country. During my two years, I witnessed firsthand how climate change has caused food and economic insecurity, decreased educational attainment, and suffering.

Unlike a rural Zambian farmer living in a mud house with 6 children on less than $1.90 a day, to us, it doesn’t really matter that much if it didn’t rain as much this year as it did last year. That simply isn’t true for the rest of the world.

The people who are hurt the most by climate change are the poorest in the world, are most vulnerable to its impacts, and have contributed the least to green-house gas emissions.

Our country is the second largest contributor to climate change in the world. And in order to limit the suffering we are perpetuating on Zambians and other poor people across the globe, we must limit our emissions.

Who really needs saving? “The planet” or people?

—Katerina Paone, Whitefish

Olszewski for governor

Campaign finance reports are interesting documents. They reveal thought-provoking data that tells a story about candidates, donors and campaign operations.

Lately there are several letters written by Montana state senators and representatives endorsing Gianforte for Montana governor. My observation is the letters are light on substantive facts and heavy on subjective opinion. It’s also a curious fact that each of the legislators, Senator Cary Smith, Representative Dan Bartel and Senator Jason Ellsworth all received the maximum financial donation from Gianforte during their most recent campaigns. This fact alone paints an interesting picture of Greg’s targeted use of his personal finances for political purposes.

A deeper look into state legislators public campaign financials show that Gianforte has contributed to many, but not all, republican candidates across Montana. Out of 88 currently serving republicans Gianforte donated the maximum amount allowed to approximately 50% of them. Prudent and thoughtful minded members of the electorate might wonder if there is more behind Greg’s donations than meets the eye. With continued endorsements from legislators who received campaign contributions from Greg, this situation becomes difficult to ignore.

Choose a Republican candidate who will earn your vote rather than purchase it. Vote Al Olszewski for Governor.

—Sandy Bancroft, Kalispell

Gun owners support Gianforte

Gun Owners of America is proud to endorse Congressman Greg Gianforte for Governor of Montana. Greg is an avid outdoorsman, hunter, and gun owner, and understands the fundamental importance of our Second Amendment rights and has worked to protect them from progressives who threaten them.

As a Congressman, Greg has cosponsored legislation protecting gun owner’s rights, while continuously voting against Nancy Pelosi’s anti-gun bills. Additionally, Greg Gianforte has stood up against big tech’s anti-gun bias. When Google denied a hunting group’s paid advertisement to promote hunting, he got to work. Within hours, Google reversed its anti-gun decision.

For the past 16 years, anti-gun politicians in Helena have threatened Montanans’ gun rights. There’s a lot at stake in the Montana governor’s race, which is why Gun Owners of America endorsed Greg. He has a proven record of defending our constitutionally-protected rights, and he’s the strongest pro-gun candidate who can win and deliver results for law-abiding gun owners in Montana.

If you want someone who will defend your Second Amendment-protected rights and stand up to anti-gun politicians and activists, I ask you to join me in supporting for Greg Gianforte for Governor of Montana.

—Tim Macy, Gun Owners of America Chairman

Protect the river

I’m not a fisherman, but I’ve followed the debate over restrictions on the Madison River, and I’m very much in support of them.

I live in the Madison Valley, and I have for many years, long enough to remember when whirling disease hit the river in the mid-90s. I don’t know first-hand what it did to the fishing, but I can tell you what it did to the local economy. It tanked. Home values fell. Construction slumped. Tourists stopped coming, and all businesses were affected, not just the guides and fishing shops.

I’ve seen the current statistics. The Madison River is the most heavily fished in the state. It’s going to crash, and when it does, we’ll all suffer. All you hear about are the complaints of the commercial fishermen not wanting restrictions, but when they overfish the river, they threaten all of us.

I hope the FWP Commission does its job and protects the river and all who live around it.

—Orson Hall, Cameron